Perplex Exertion
by hi-fi mixup
Summary: Traveling in a post-Apocolyptic wasteland wasn't what Tetra and Liam intended for their weekend getaway, but it sure does land them in a world of trouble.


Sand, sand, and more sand.  
  
Tetra's attention strained as Liam's rich tenor voice cracked next to her.  
  
'What the fuck do you mean we're almost out of water?'  
  
Tetra nearly dropped to her knees from those horrible words. No water? But, that was their only hope of making it to New Reno. If they didn't have water, they'd surely die. The heat was blistering and her and her partner's hope was deteriorating, if it hadn't already been beaten to a pulp on this excursion so far. Her dark brown hair glued itself to the back of her neck from the beads of sweat that dripped from her scalp. Both of their skin had a dark tan, mostly from their trek through this horrible heat and sun. It'd been at least a week since they'd left Broken Hills with a few more supplies. No one had offered to help them there, so they left after only a day of searching for a kind soul to help them. Very tough to find a kind soul in a town of mutants, midgets, and miners, though. They'd been turned out on their heels, in all truth. Tetra, with her tart attitude and sharp tongue, had angered Marcus, one of the towns founders and the biggest mutant she had ever laid eyes on. Liam was still livid about that.  
  
'Look, Tetra. Calm down.'  
  
'What'd you mean calm down? We don't have enough water, Liam. Do you understand that? Or do I have to spell it out to you?'  
  
Liam shrugged his wife's ignorance and continued to walk, his tan boots sinking into the sand. With bleak hope, they could make it if Tetra would stop whining for a second and stop wasting time. His bright blue eyes squinted at the sun ahead of them as he lugged a large knapsack on one his broad shoulders. This, without a doubt, wasn't the romantic getaway to New Reno it had intended to be. A simple weekend trip to New Reno was all that Liam had wanted. To get away from his job in The Brotherhood of Steel and his seemingly everlasting lines of new recruits eager to get in. But, those plans had gone to Hell in a hand basket. He heard Tetra sigh heavily, a dramatic one, meant for getting his attention. 'What is it this time?' he asked with a sharp edge on his voice. It was an attempt to warn her about what she was going to say. 'I wanna go home, Liam. I'm tired of walking.' He cringed.  
  
'Oh dear God, Tetra. Its just a little walk. We're not that far away from our destination. Do you understand that? Or do I have to spell it out for you?'  
  
Something was thrown into the sand near Liam's feet, spraying a wave of sand onto the front of his boots. It was Tetra's knapsack. 'You know what, Liam? I'm tired of your smart alack attitude. I'm going by myself,' she hissed at him, her head tilted back so that she could see her husband in the eyes. A delicate girl and a giant, what a match these two made. Tetra was barely even the age of eighteen and Liam was a man in his mid thirties, but these days, everything was legal. It wasn't a few months before, he'd seen a druggie selling Jet to a kid that couldn't be anymore than seven. Whores filled the streets, following their pimps like the little puppy dogs that they were. Gamblers and pickpockets lined every bar counter in every city. This world was going to Hell, or maybe it was just trying to build itself back up from a first class plane ride through it. No one could really tell. Liam shook himself out of his daydreaming state to see Tetra standing completely still on top of a large sand dune. Her body was rigid with either shock or fear, it could've been either one, or maybe even both.  
  
He bent down and hoisted her knapsack onto his other shoulder; adjusting the straps of his other and grunting. Sand was everywhere: in his shoes, on the knapsack, in his hair. There was even tiny grains of sand in his underwear. Liam had never known true annoyance until he noticed this. And, if their ever was such a thing as sand-chafe, he knew all about it now. Whenever they finally got to New Reno, he'd have a good bath first thing, maybe even with Tetra to celebrate. 'Hey, baby, Tetra, what is it?' he asked as he took a long stride forward, and his boots sunk into the sand again. He didn't know how it was going to feel to be able to walk on hard land after all this walking on sand. But, he'd hopefully find out soon. As he made his way up to where his wife was standing, she turned around and looked at him, her dark brown eyes shining in the sunlight like nothing he'd ever seen before. Tetra held one of her long fragile hands out to him, but he didn't take it. Instead, he took one longer stride and hoisted himself up onto the dune himself.  
  
'Oh my God.'  
  
He felt one of Tetra's slim arms wrap around his waist and he smiled.  
  
One smile lost in a thousand miles of sand.  
  
'We're here.' 


End file.
